Method, Location Device and System for Managing Network Devices

ABSTRACT

A method for managing network devices is provided. The method comprises collecting position data of at least one network device with a location device for determining the position of the at least one network device relative to at least one positioning base, collecting device information data from the at least one network device with the location device, the device information data representing individual properties of the at least one network device, determining the position of the at least one network device according to the position data, providing a model of the physical environment based on environment data, and mapping the at least one network device to the model of the physical environment such that the device information data of the at least one network device is assigned to at least one location in the model of the physical environment, according to the position of the at least one network device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY

This patent application claims priority from Chinese Patent ApplicationNo. CN 201910761452.4 filed Aug. 18, 2019, which is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field of present disclosure generally relates to networkmanagement. In particular, the present discloser relates to a method, alocation device and a system for managing network devices.

BACKGROUND

There are methods and systems known, which may be used for managingnetwork devices installed in a physical environment. It is also knownthat a plurality of network devices may be controlled by computers. Fornetworks with a large number of network devices, it may be difficult,however, to properly arrange, identify, and control the network devices.

SUMMARY

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a user-friendly methodfor managing network devices. A further object of the present disclosureis to provide a location device and a system enabling the implementationof the method for managing network devices.

According to a first aspect, a method for managing network devicesarranged in a physical environment is provided. The method comprisescollecting position data of at least one network device with a locationdevice for determining the position of the at least one network devicerelative to at least one positioning base.

The method further comprises collecting device information data from theat least one network device with the location device, the deviceinformation data representing individual properties of the at least onenetwork device. The location information and device information can bereported to the server at the same time, so that server get the locationand unique identification number (ID) of the at least one networkdevice. This method enables the mapping of device ID and location.

The method also comprises determining the position of the at least onenetwork device based on the position data.

Further, the method comprises providing a model of the physicalenvironment based on environment data and mapping the at least onenetwork device to the model of the physical environment such that thedevice information data of the at least one network device is assignedto at least one location in the model of the physical environment,according to the position of the at least on network device.

The method further comprises displaying the model of the physicalenvironment on a user interface (UI), the at least one network devicebeing indicated by at least one icon in the model of the physicalenvironment, for controlling the at least one network device based onthe mapping of the at least one network device to the model of thephysical environment.

The at least one network device may comprise a plurality of networkdevices. In particular, it may comprise any kind of networkable deviceswith at least one adjustable parameter, such as smart devices adapted tocommunicate with other devices. The network devices may be configured tocommunicate with other smart devices and/or to be part of an internet ofthings (IoT).

The device information data, representing individual properties of thenetwork devices may comprise unique identification number (ID), devicetype, manufacturer ID, etc. Further, the device information data mayrepresent technical characteristics or specification information,relevant for controlling the network devices.

The physical environment may be any environment in which the networkdevices may be arranged. The physical environment may be, in particular,an indoor or outdoor area, a building, a part of a building, aproduction hall, an office, or a residential space.

The model of the physical environment may be based on environment data,from which a two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) model of thephysical environment can be created. The model may be further a 3D modelwhich is constructed on the basis of a 2D model or floor plan of thephysical environment.

The method can be easily implemented by persons without profoundtechnical skills. The mapping of the network devices to the model of thephysical environment can facilitate the identification and control ofthe network devices by providing an overview of the device positions inthe physical environment. Further, the mapping of specific devices tospecific positions in the environment can be especially helpful when thenetwork comprises a large number of network devices which can be easilyconfused by the user. The overview of the system provided by the mappingof the network devices to the model of the physical environment can helpto avoid errors or wrong operation that happens if a large number ofnetwork devices is manually installed. The displaying of the model ofthe physical environment with the icons of the mapped networked deviceson the UI makes the control of the network particularly user friendlyand less prone to mistakes.

In some embodiments, the at least one positioning base may comprise anumber of positioning bases, in particular three or more bases,positioned at known positions in the physical environment. The methodmay comprise inputting the coordinates of the positioning bases over theUI for determining the position of the at least one network device.

The collecting of the position data with the location device may bebased on ultrawideband (UWB) positioning technology. The UWB technologyenables an energy-efficient and accurate determination of deviceposition. With the UWB technology, a highly precise determination of thepositions of the network devices is possible. In some embodiments, thespatial resolution or the deviation in the position determination isless than 50 cm. This precision is sufficient for many applications.

For collecting the position data, other technologies, such as Bluetooth5.0 (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark), may beused. These technologies are well-standardized and readily available forpositioning purposes.

The method may comprise adjusting at least one adjustable parameter ofthe at least one network device based on the model of the physicalenvironment displayed on the UI. The adjustment of the at least oneadjustable parameter on the basis of the model of the physicalenvironment displayed on the UI enables a user-friendly adjustment ofthe adjustable parameters, in accordance with the real physicalenvironment.

The at least one network device may comprise more than one networkdevice of the plurality of network devices, and the adjusting maycomprise automatically adjusting the at least one adjustable parameterbased on the positions of the more than one network device in theenvironment. By taking into account the positions of the network devicesin the environment, the adjustment matching the physical environment canbe performed automatically. In some embodiments, the adjustment isfurther performed based on the positions of the network devices relativeto each other. By taking into account the positions of the networkdevices relative to each other, a self-consistent adjustment of theplurality of network devices can be performed automatically.

The method may further comprise manually adjusting the at least oneadjustable parameter of the at least one network device over the UI. Inparticular, the manual adjustment can be applied separately oradditionally to the automatic adjustment for refining the automaticadjustment based on the visual picture of the model of the physicalenvironment displayed on the UI.

The collecting of the device information data may comprise scanning aQR-code of the at least one network device with a QR-scanner of thelocation device. The location device can be configured, in particular,as a handheld scanning device or QR-scanner which can be used to scanthe QR-codes of the network devices. The scanning of the QR-codesprovides an easy and quick way for collecting the device informationdata from individual network devices.

The method may comprise sending the position data and the deviceinformation data from the location device to a computer server. Thus,the position data and the device information from different networkdevices can be collected and handled centrally by the computer server.The centralized handling of the location data and the device informationdata is particularly helpful for controlling a large number of networkdevices, since the computing power of the computer server can be used.In some embodiments, the position data comprises processed datarepresenting the location of the location device relative to thepositioned bases. The position data sent from the location device to thecomputer server may comprise raw data representing distances between thelocation device and the positioning bases. Thus, the computation of thepositions can be taken over by the computer server, and the workload ofthe location device can be reduced.

In some embodiments, the at least one network device comprises at leastone luminaire, wherein the at least one adjustable parameter comprisesat least one adjustable light parameter, in particular luminous flux,brightness, luminance, and/or light color temperature. The mapping ofthe luminaires to the model of the physical environment can provide aclear overview over the locations of the luminaires in the physicalenvironment and thus facilitate the management of the network of theluminaires. The one or more light parameters of the luminaires may beadjusted or equalized in such a way that a desired illumination of thephysical environment is achieved.

In some embodiments, the method comprises modelling or simulating theoperation of the network devices. In the case of luminaires, the methodmay comprise modelling an illumination of the physical environmentilluminated by the at least one luminaire and displaying a modelledillumination on the UI. The modelled illumination of the physicalenvironment may be displayed together with the model of the physicalenvironment on the UI, giving a realistic model of the illuminatedphysical environment. Based on the modelled illumination of the physicalenvironment, the at least one light parameter of the luminaire can beadjusted in such a way that a desired illumination of the physicalenvironment is achieved. Thus, a realistic real-time simulation of theoperation of the luminaires can be used to visually control and toadjust the luminaires over the UI.

In some embodiments, the device locations in the model of the physicalenvironment may be rearranged, and the physical environment may bemodelled with the rearranged locations of the network devices. Therearrangement of the device locations in the model environment can beparticularly helpful in finding the optimal positions of the networkdevices, such that the network devices in the physical environment canbe rearranged accordingly.

According to a second aspect, a location device for managing networkdevices arranged in a physical environment is provided. The locationdevice comprises a processor and a positioning tag configured to collectposition data for determining positions of the network devices relativeto at least one positioning base provided in the physical environment.The location device further comprises a QR-scanner for collecting deviceinformation data representing individual properties of the networkdevices, a communication interface for communicating, in particular forwirelessly communicating, with a server, and a memory unit configured tostore instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor toreceive the position data from the positioning tag and the deviceinformation data from the QR-scanner and to instruct the communicationinterface to send the position data and the device information data tothe computer server.

The positioning tag may be configured to wirelessly communicate with theat least one positioning base for determining the position of thepositioning tag of the location device. By bringing the location deviceclose to one of the network devices and determining the position of thepositioning tag, the position of the respective network device can bedetermined. The location device may be a compact handheld device whichcan be easily brought to the network devices. In particular, if thelocation device is positioned in a distance from a network device whichis smaller than the spatial resolution of the determination of the taglocation, the precision of the determination of the position of thenetwork device can be limited only by the resolution of the wirelesstechnology underlying tag localization determination.

The wireless communication of the positioning tag with the at least onepositioning base may be based on UWB (ultrawide band) technology. TheUWB technology enables a reliable position determination with a highprecision. In particular, measurement deviations can be less than 50 cm,which may be sufficiently small for controlling network devices in manyoutdoor or indoor applications.

The QR-scanner may be configured to collect the device information databy scanning QR-codes of the network devices. The device information,representing individual properties of the network devices may compriseunique identification number (ID), device type, manufacturer ID, etc.Further, the device information data may provide technicalcharacteristics or specification information, relevant for controllingthe network devices. By scanning the QR-codes with the QR-scanner, thedevice information data can be quickly and easily collected fromindividual devices.

The instructions executable by the processor may comprise instructionsto process the position data received from the positioning tag prior tosending the position data to the computer server. In particular, theprocessed position data may represent positions calculated from rawposition data provided by the positioning tag to the processor of thelocation device. Thus, the computer server can be provided withalready-calculated positions of the network devices. In someembodiments, the instructions executable by the processor may compriseinstructions to send the unprocessed position data to the computerserver, such that the computation of the network device positions can beperformed by the computer server. Thus, the computational power of theprocessor of the location device can be reduced, resulting in a cheaperand smaller location device.

According to a third aspect, a system for managing network devicesarranged in a physical environment is provided. The system comprises acomputer server, a location device with a positioning tag for providingposition data and a QR-scanner for providing device information data.The location device with the positioning tag and the QR-scanner can bemounted together, so that the device information and the location datecan be paired and reported to the computer server essentially at thesame time. The computer server comprises a communication interfaceconfigured to receive data from the location device and to send controlsignals to the network devices. The computer server can receive thepaired data of location and device information and store the mapping oflocation and the network device ID. The computer server furthercomprises a user interface (UI) for controlling the network devices, aprocessor, and a memory unit configured to store environment datarepresenting the physical environment, the position data, and the deviceinformation data. The memory unit is further configured to storeinformation data related to a physical environment, position data, andthe device information data related to the network devices. The memoryunit is also configured to store instructions executable by theprocessor to provide a model of the physical environment, in particular,based on the environment data, to map the network device to the model ofthe physical environment, and to display the model of the physicalenvironment on the UI, the at least one network device being indicatedby at least one icon in the model of the physical environment, forcontrolling the at least one network device based on the mapping of theat least one network device to the model of the physical environment.

The mapping of the network devices to the model of the physicalenvironment can facilitate the control of the network devices byproviding an overview over the properties of individual network devicesand their positioning in the physical environment. The mapping ofspecific devices to specific positions in the environment can beespecially helpful when the network comprises a large number of networkdevices which can be easily confused by the user.

The system may further comprise one or more gateways for communicationbetween the computer server and the network devices. In particular, thegateways may be configured to transfer control signals received from thecomputer server over a wired or wireless communication to individualnetwork devices. In some embodiments, the gateways are configured towirelessly transfer the control signals to the individual networkdevices. The gateways may be arranged in or assigned to separate zonesor control zones of the environment such that all network devices in onezone are controlled over one gateway. By dividing the environment intocontrol zones with dedicated gateways, the handling of a large number ofnetwork devices distributed over larger spaces, can be facilitated.

The UI may comprise an interactive UI configured to control the networkdevices by selecting respective icons on the UI. The interactive UI maycomprise, in particular, a touchscreen display which is configured tovisualize data and to receive user commands over a control paneldisclosed on the touchscreen display for controlling the networkdevices. The control panel may comprise, in particular, slide bars formanually controlling the network devices. In some embodiments, the UI isa display of a smart portable device wirelessly connected with thecomputer server.

The UI may be further configured to display diagnostic parameters,indicating the operational state of the network devices. In particular,the UI may be configured to display a dashboard showing diagnosticparameters and/or status information of the network. The network statusinformation may comprise status information of individual networkdevices and/or global status information related to the network as awhole. In particular, the status information may comprise health statusinformation of the network. The health status may comprise the ratio ofthe number of functioning or offline devices to the total number of thenetwork devices. In the case of luminaires, the status information ofnetwork devices may comprise “on/off” status, brightness, colortemperature, etc. The UI may be configured to display a dashboardshowing the energy consumption of the network devices, in particular,one or more network devices of the plurality of network devices, and/orthe energy consumption summary, in particular for a room or area, inparticular over a selectable time period. The UI may be furtherconfigured to display a dashboard showing the remaining lifetime of thenetwork devices. The UI may be configured to display a dashboard showingpredictive maintenance data.

In the following description, details are provided to describe theembodiments of the present disclosure. It shall be apparent to oneskilled in the art, however, that the embodiments may be practicedwithout such details.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some parts of the embodiments have similar parts. The similar parts mayhave same names or similar part numbers. The description of one partapplies by reference to another similar part, where appropriate, therebyreducing repetition of text without limiting the disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of a system for managing networkdevices according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic structure of a location device according to anembodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic overview of a computer server according to anembodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of a method for managing network devicesaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of a method for managing network devicesaccording to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of a system for managing networkdevices according to an embodiment. The system 1 comprises a locationdevice 2 or QR-locator, a number of positioning bases 3, and a computerserver 4. The system 1 is configured to manage a plurality of networkdevices 5. The network device 5 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a quickresponse code (QR-code) 6 containing device information. In the exampleof shown in FIG. 1, the network device 5 is a luminaire in the form ofan adjustable or dimmable LED light bulb with an E27 socket. The LEDlight bulb is adjustable such that the luminous flux or brightness andthe color temperature of the light emitted from the light bulb can beseparately controlled. For controlling the LED light bulb, a wirelesscommunication according to Zigbee (registered trademark) standard can beused. Although FIG. 1 shows only an LED light bulb, the system 1 can beused for managing other types of adjustable network devices, likeluminaires, loudspeakers, heaters, coolers, or any other network deviceswith adjustable parameters.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic structure of a location device according to anembodiment. The location device 2 comprises a processor 21 or centralprocessing unit (CPU), a memory unit 22 for storing codes executable bythe processor 21, and a QR-scanner 23 configured to scan QR-Codes (quickresponse code) of network devices 5. The location device 2 furthercomprises a communication interface 24 for establishing a wirelesscommunication with the computer server 4 and a positioning tag 25 fordetermining the location of the location device 2 relative to thepositioning bases 3. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the communicationinterface 24 comprises a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) chip configured toestablish the wireless communication according to the Wi-Fi standard.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic overview of a computer server according to anembodiment. The computer server 4 comprises a processor 41, a memoryunit 42, a communication interface 44, and a user interface 46 (UI). Thememory unit 42 is configured to store computer readable instructionsexecutable by the processor 41. The communication interface 44 isconfigured to establish a wireless communication with a location device2 according to FIG. 2. The user interface 46 is configured to presentinformation to the user and to receive inputs from the user forcontrolling the network devices 5. In an embodiment, the UI 46 comprisesa touchscreen display which is configured to visualize the model of thephysical environment and to receive user commands for controlling thenetwork devices 5. In some embodiments, the UI 46 is configured suchthat the user can input the coordinates of the positioning bases 3.

The positioning bases 3 may be arranged at specific locations with knowncoordinates in a lighting management environment, such as an office or aresidential building. The positioning bases 3 positioned at knownlocations can serve as a frame of reference or reference system fordetermining positions of the network devices 5 in the environment. Inparticular, the wireless communication between the positioning tag 25 ofthe location device 2 and the location bases 3 can be used forcollecting position data and for determining positions of the networkdevices 5. By measuring the respective distances from the positioningtag 25 of the location device 2 to the positioning bases 3, the locationof the location device 2 relative to the positioning bases 3 can bedetermined. Further, by measuring the distances between the positioningtag 25 and the communication bases 3, while the location device 2 iskept at one of the network devices 5, the distances between therespective network device 5 and the positioning bases 3 can bedetermined.

The position data can be sent from the location device 2 over the Wi-Ficommunication to the computer server 4 for further processing.

The QR-scanner 23 of the location device 2 can be used to read theQR-codes 6 of the network devices 5. The QR-codes may comprise deviceinformation representing unique ID number, manufacturer ID,specification data, etc.

After scanning a QR-code 6 of a network device 5 by the QR-scanner 23 ofthe location device 2, the corresponding device information data may besent over the Wi-Fi communication from the location device 2 to thecomputer server 4. Prior to sending to the computer server, the locationdata and/or device information data may be stored in the memory unit 22and/or processed by the processor 21 of the location device 2.

The system 1 allows to collect the location data and the deviceinformation data of a plurality of network devices 5 at the computerserver 4 by approaching individual network devices 5 and carrying outthe steps of collecting and sending the location data and the deviceinformation data of individual network devices 5.

The device information data and the location data for the networkdevices 5 may be mapped by the computer server 4 to a model of thephysical environment, such that the device information data of thenetwork devices 5 is assigned to corresponding locations in the model ofthe physical environment, according to the positions of the networkdevice 5.

In some embodiments, especially in case of large physical environments,like landscaped offices or production halls, the system 1 also maycomprise one or more gateways or communication nodes connected with thecomputer server 4 and configured to individually address the networkdevices 5. In particular, the gateways may be configured to transfercontrol signals received from the computer server 4 over a communicationbus to individual network devices 5. In some embodiments, the gatewaysare configured to wirelessly transfer the control signals to theindividual network devices 5. The gateways may be assigned to separatecontrol zones of the environment such that all network devices in asingle zone are controlled over a single gateway. In some embodiments,the UI 46 is configured to indicate the separate control zones in themodel of the environment and to separately control network devices ineach control zone of the physical environment. By dividing theenvironment into control zones and separately controlling the controlzones with respective gateways, the handling of large networks with manynetwork devices 5 distributed over larger spaces can be facilitated.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of a method for managing network devicesaccording to an embodiment. The method 100 for managing network devicesmay be, in particular, implemented in a system according to FIG. 1.According to the embodiment of FIG. 4, in step 110, the coordinates ofthe positioning bases 3 are inputted by the user via the UI 46 of thecomputer server 4. The coordinates of the positioning bases 3 may be, inparticular, cartesian coordinates (X, Y, Z) of the positioning bases 3,relative to any common reference system.

In step 120, the positioning tags 25 of the location device 2 wirelesslycommunicates with the positioning bases 3. During the wirelesscommunication of the positioning tag 25 with the positioning bases 3,the positioning tag may send the coordinates of the positioning bases 3to the respective positioning bases 3. During the wirelesscommunication, distances between the positioning tags 25 and thepositioning bases 3 may be determined.

In step 130, the positioning tag 25 of the location device 2 determinesthe position of the location device 2 based on the distances between thepositioning tag 25 and the positioning bases 3. The step 130 maycomprise positioning the location device 2 at a network device 5, suchthat the position of the positioning tag 25 of the location device 2essentially corresponds to the location of the network device 5.

In step 140, the QR-scanner 23 scans a QR-code 6 of the network device 5at which the location device 2 is positioned such that the deviceinformation of the network device 5 is captured by the location device2. The captured device information may be transferred to the processor21 of the location device 2.

In step 150, the location device 2 sends a data package or message tothe computer server 4, the data package comprising information on thenetwork device position and the device information to the computerserver 4.

In some embodiments, the steps 120, 130, 140, and 150 are repeated atdifferent locations, in particular at the locations of different networkdevices 5, such that the device position and the device information of aplurality of network devices 5 can be collected and sent to the computerserver 4.

In step 160, the device positions are mapped to a model of theenvironment. The model can be, in particular, 2D or 3D plan of theenvironment created based on environmental data representing thephysical environment, saved in the memory unit 42 of the computer server4. The environmental data representing the physical environment may beprovided separately or downloaded from a computer cloud to the computerserver 4. The mapping may be carried out in such a way that the deviceinformation data of the network devices 5 are assigned to locations inthe model of the physical environment in accordance with the position ofthe network devices in the physical environment.

In some embodiments, like in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the method 100comprises a step 170 in which the device locations corresponding to thepositions of the network devices 5 are rearranged, automatically or bythe user via the UI 46. In particular, the step 170 may comprise a stepof modelling the operation of the network devices 5 in the physicalenvironment and providing a modelled physical environment with theoperating network devices 5. The device locations in the model of thephysical environment may be rearranged in accordance with the results ofthe modelling.

In step 180, a device management interface on the UI 46 for controllingthe network devices 5 is provided. The device management interface maydisplay the model of the physical environment, for instance a floor planin an office building, wherein the locations corresponding to thenetwork devices 5 is indicated by icons. The icons indicating thenetwork devices 5 may be interactive icons which can be activated by theuser for controlling respective network devices 5. The method 100 mayfurther comprise receiving user commands over the network managementinterface of the UI 46 for controlling the network devices 5.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of a method for managing network devicesaccording to another embodiment. The method 200 shown in FIG. 5 can bealso implemented in a system for managing network devices 5 according toFIG. 1. In step 221 of the method 200, the positioning tag 25 of thelocation device 2 gets distance data representing the distances betweenthe positioning tag 25 and the positioning bases 3.

In step 240, similar to step 140 of method 100, the QR-scanner 23captures the device information by scanning a QR-code 6 of a networkdevice 5 and forwards the device information to the processor 21 of thelocation device 2.

In step 250, the location device 2 sends a message containing the deviceinformation data and the distance data to the computer server 4. Thus,different from the process 100 of FIG. 4, the message sent from thelocation device 2 to the computer server 4 contains distance data or rawposition data representing the distances from the location device 2 andthe positioning bases 3. By sending the raw or unprocessed position datato the computer server 4, the calculation of the respective deviceposition may be performed by the computer server 4. Hence, the workloadof the processor 21 of the location device 2 can be reduced. Thus, acheap and compact location device 2 with reduced computationalcapacities can be used for implementing the method.

In step 255, the device position is calculated by the computer server 4based on the distance data and the known positions of the positioningbases 3. Prior to step 255, similar to step 110 of FIG. 4, thecoordinates of the positioning bases 3 may be inputted by the userthrough the UI 46 of the computer server 4.

Further, similar to step 160 of method 100, in step 260, the networkdevices 5 are mapped to the model of the physical environment. The modelof the physical environment may be provided based on environment datastored in the memory unit 42 of the computer server 4.

In the embodiment of method 200 of FIG. 5, the method 200 comprises astep 270 in which the device locations corresponding to the positions ofthe network devices 5 are rearranged by the user via the UI 46. The step270 may comprise a step of modelling the operation of the networkdevices 5 in the physical environment based on a modelled physicalenvironment and rearranging the network device locations in the model ofthe physical environment in accordance with the results of themodelling.

In step 280, a device management interface on the UI 46 for controllingthe network devices 5 is provided. The device management interface maydisplay the model of the physical environment with the locationscorresponding to the network devices 5 indicated by icons. The iconsindicating the network devices 5 may be interactive icons which can beactivated by the user for controlling respective network devices 5. Themethod 200 may further comprise receiving user commands over a networkmanagement interface of the UI 46 for controlling the network devices 5.

In some embodiments the device management interface is configured todisplay a dashboard for displaying diagnostic parameters and/or networkstatus information. The network status information may comprise statusinformation of individual network devices 5 or global status of thenetwork as a whole. In particular, the status information may comprisehealth status information of the network. The health status may comprisethe ratio of the number of well-functioning or offline network devicesto total number of network devices. The UI may be configured to displaya dashboard showing the energy consumption of the network devices, inparticular, one or more network devices of the plurality of networkdevices, and/or the energy consumption summary, in particular for a roomor area, in particular over a selectable time period. The UI may befurther configured to display a dashboard showing the remaining lifetimeof the network devices. The UI may be configured to display a dashboardshowing predictive maintenance data.

While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in theforegoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vastnumber of variations exists. It should also be appreciated that theexemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and arenot intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of thedisclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description willprovide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map forimplementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments.

1. A method for managing network devices arranged in a physicalenvironment, the method comprising: collecting position data of at leastone network device with a location device for determining a position ofthe at least one network device relative to at least one positioningbase; collecting device information data from the at least one networkdevice with the location device, the device information datarepresenting individual properties of the at least one network device;determining the position of the at least one network device according tothe position data; providing a model of the physical environment basedon environment data; mapping the at least one network device to themodel of the physical environment such that the device information dataof the at least one network device is assigned to at least one locationin the model of the physical environment, according to the position ofthe at least one network device; and displaying the model of thephysical environment on a user interface (UI), the at least one networkdevice being indicated by at least one icon in the model of the physicalenvironment, for controlling the at least one network device based onthe mapping of the at least one network device to the model of thephysical environment.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein themethod further comprises: adjusting at least one adjustable parameter ofthe at least one network device based on the model of the physicalenvironment displayed on the UI.
 3. The method according to claim 2,wherein the at least one network device comprises more than one networkdevice, and wherein the adjusting comprises automatically adjusting theat least one adjustable parameter based on the positions of the morethan one network devices in the environment.
 4. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the collecting of the device information data comprisesscanning a QR-code of the at least one network device with a QR-scannerof the location device.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein themethod further comprises: sending the position data and the deviceinformation data from the location device to a computer server.
 6. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the at least one network devicecomprises at least one luminaire, wherein the at least one adjustableparameter comprises at least one adjustable light parameter.
 7. Themethod according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:modelling an illumination of the physical environment illuminated by theat least one luminaire; and displaying a modelled illumination on theUI.
 8. A location device for managing network devices arranged in aphysical environment, the location device comprising: a processor; apositioning tag configured to collect position data for determiningpositions of the network devices relative to at least one positioningbase provided in a physical environment; a QR-scanner for collectingdevice information data representing individual properties of thenetwork devices; a communication interface for communicating with aserver; and a memory unit configured to store instructions executable bythe processor to cause the processor to receive the position data fromthe positioning tag and the device information data from the QR-scannerand to instruct the communication interface to send the position dataand the device information data to the server.
 9. The location deviceaccording to claim 8, wherein wireless communication of the positioningtag with the at least one positioning base is based on ultrawide band(UWB) technology.
 10. The location device according to claim 8, whereinthe QR-scanner is configured to collect the device information data byscanning QR-codes of the network devices.
 11. The location deviceaccording to claim 8, wherein the instructions executable by theprocessor comprise instructions to process the position data receivedfrom the positioning tag prior to sending the position data to theserver.
 12. A system for managing a network of network devices arrangedin a physical environment, the system comprising a computer server, alocation device with a positioning tag for providing position data and aQR-scanner for providing device information data, the computer servercomprising: a communication interface configured to receive data fromthe location device and to send control signals to the network devices;a user interface (UI) for controlling the network devices; a processor;and a memory unit configured to store environment data related to thephysical environment, the position data, and the device informationdata, the memory unit being further configured to store instructionsexecutable by the processor to provide a model of the physicalenvironment, to map the network devices to the model of the physicalenvironment, and to display the model of the physical environment on theUI, the at least one network device being indicated by at least one iconin the model of the physical environment, for controlling the at leastone network device based on the mapping of the at least one networkdevice to the model of the physical environment.
 13. The systemaccording to claim 12, wherein the system further comprises one or moregateways for communication between the server and the network devices.14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the UI comprises aninteractive user interface configured to control the network devices byselecting respective icons on the UI.
 15. The system according to claim12, wherein the UI is further configured to display diagnosticparameters indicating the operational state of the network devices.